TGIF: Get Out of Your Post Thanksgiving Coma with Norwegian Death Metal

Friday may officially be the start of the holiday season-at least among the marketers of the world. And you can either waste all your energy at Black Friday sales and be too tired for anything else, or you can take it easy during the day and watch Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys at Alex's Bar in Long Beach later.

As you might guess, we're rather inclined towards the latter-Big Sandy's chosen nickname might as well refer to his reputation after years and years of making classic American music of the 20th century thrive.

Friday will also mean recuperation from your turkey induced coma (or tofurkey induced, if that's your preference) so clearly something energetic is called for. That's probably why San Diego's Pierce the Veil, one of our interview subjects in the music section this week, scheduled their stop at the Fox Theater in Pomona when they did.

Touring with the characters in Attack Attack! probably means there's a lot of all-over-the-place, dance/thrash/who knows what moves have been rehearsed, so find the friend with the Early Times CD that he or she wants to get autographed and head out.

Should you find yourself unable to leave the Fox Theatre after that show if the turkey finally catches up to you, just wait for Dimmu Borgir's performance on Saturday evening instead.

The Norwegian band has long since passed the point of no return among numerous metal fans-i.e., once they started becoming more famous outside of their initial circle-but while the wars about selling out will forever be debated (alongside arguments about which members were the best), founders Shagrath and Silenoz are still happily at it with the current version, orchestral flourishes and all.

If you're still moving a bit on Sunday night after whatever extended weekend pursuits you get up to, the Ray Bailey Trio boat performance in Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach might be an option when it comes to easing back into the real world the following day.

Bailey and company like their version of the blues to come with fat organ sounds as much as wailing guitar, the kind of gutbucket approach that benefits from as much electricity around to help make it all move. And, it doesn't sound anything like, say, Blueshammer-for which we're all eternally grateful.